Marked as Mine
by Tally Mark
Summary: He didn't want to mark her, and she couldn't understand why. It seems there's been some miscommunication. Oneshot, InuKag.


**A/N:** This came to me earlier and I just couldn't help myself. And of course, as always, I don't own Inuyasha.

* * *

"Inuyasha," she said, taking quick, nervous breaths. 

Inuyasha rolled over and rested his chin on Kagome's head, letting out a slow, heavy breath that wafted through her hair. "You're finally awake," he said in a low murmur, nuzzling her forehead. He kissed the bridge of her nose and she felt her resolve weaken. "We should get up." He gave her a lopsided grin. "I hate to, but the others will come looking for us soon, and I'm sure you don't want to get caught like this."

She watched him as he rolled to his feet, picking up his fire-rat pants and tugging them on. "It's your own fault for sleeping halfway till noon," he chided. He turned to pick up his hakama.

"Inuyasha," she said again. Her heart was hammering in her chest and ever fiber of her wanted to just let it go, but she had lain awake all night gathering up her resolve, and if she didn't say it now, it might never get said.

He looked over his shoulder and at last seemed to realize something wasn't right.

"Kagome?" he asked, kneeling beside her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong Inuyasha, I was just…I was…" she took a deep breath to steady herself, looking away again. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. "I was just wondering…why you didn't mark me last night." There, she said it - she halfway hated herself for bringing it up, ruining the perfect moment they were having, but she'd never forgive herself if she didn't.

There was a long, long pause before he answered. Blinking back tears, she watched him stare at her, face blank, his mouth opening and closing several times before finally settling on a response.

"_What?_" He gave a small cough. "You're upset because…you _want_ me…to…?"

"You didn't mark me." She bit back a sob. "You - you said we were going to be mates last night. That - that I would be yours." Tears ran down her face now. "I know about demon customs, how the male is somehow supposed to mark - it's because of Kikyou, isn't it? Her voice went very quiet. "You love me, but I can't be yours, because you and Kikyou belong to each other."

For what else could mean, if demon males marked what was theirs, but that she would never be his because he had already made a commitment that could not be undone.

"No!" he said, confusion etched across his features. His eyes were wide and blinking, and a puzzled, troubled frown pulled at his brow. "No, it's not like that at all! Kagome, you _are_ my mate."

"Then - then why? Why wouldn't you mark me?" She looked up at him with large, pleading eyes, not understanding the confusion in his face. She bit her lip. "Is it because you're embarrassed?"

"What?"

She looked away. "For everyone to know you have a human mate."

"_No_," he said, "never! Its just…" he looked at her helplessly, a strange expression on his face. "I didn't think that, well, that you would…_want_ me to mark you."

"Of course I do!" she said, "I want the whole world to know that I'm yours. I know you think it's a shameful thing to be a hanyou's lover, but I don't! I want everyone to know that I belong to you, and you alone, and I want there to be no mistake about it."

Inuyasha had nothing to say to this, and she gave him a moment to recover, knowing he must be overwhelmed. She was overwhelmed too, with relief - now she understood why he hadn't marked her. It must be his old insecurities showing through again. He was always so nervous, so unsure when it came to certain things, raised to believe himself worthless.

"Let me get this straight," he said finally, slowly "you really want me…to mark you? As mine?"

"Yes," she said, quick to reassure him. "Absolutely."

He still seemed uncertain. "Are you…sure?"

She grasped his hands in hers. "I've been waiting for this for what seems like forever. I've wanted it more than you could imagine."

His eyes searched hers for an unbearable long moment that she was sure lasted several minutes. Unreadable emotions flashed through his amber-gold eyes. Finally, he gave a slow nod.

Kagome felt her heart burst with happiness and she threw arms around him - around her sweet, gentle, insecure hanyou. Finally she released him and sat back. "Will it hurt?" Truth be told she didn't know much about how exactly a marking went, except that it was supposed to be someplace noticeable, but not inconvenient. She wondered if it was a bite or a scratch.

He looked away, his eyes hooded. "It…it won't be pleasant."

She sat up and braced herself, shutting her eyes tight. "I'm ready."

Inuyasha stared at her for a long time, a strange expression on his face. Had Kagome been watching, she would have thought it almost pained. His eyes ran over the waiting face of his new bride, and he wondered, for the first time, if perhaps he should have chosen Kikyou after all.

He then he shrugged his shoulders, undid his pants, and lifted his leg.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry! I couldn't help myself! This is my silent protest against fanon - don't get me wrong, I've read plenty of great marking fics where the idea was used just beautifully, and it really is a very neat idea. But it is total, total fanon, andninety percentof all fics use it, which is just crazy. If they really bit people in the series, wouldn't we have noticed some demons with bite marks by now?Besides, _this_ is how dogs mark things, bwahaha! Hopefully this idea hasn't been done before, but it came to me and I just had to write it. Poor Kagome, it seems she misinterpreted what she heard. 

I think after this you wouldn't be able to blame her if she went running to Sesshoumaru.


End file.
